Cat and Mouse
by Shiawase Vampire
Summary: [Star Ocean 3] A badly phrased request turns into an all out chase through the streets of Peterny.


**Disclaimer:** All characters belong to the lovely people who made Star Ocean 3: Till the End of Time.

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**Cat and Mouse**

The swordsman glared at the blue-haired boy, his stupid words still ringing in his ears.

"You dare ask me such a ridiculous thing?" he growled. He could feel his eye twitching.

The boy blushed and laughed nervously. If he were wise, he'd step out of the swordsman's swinging range. "Eh-heh, well, yes."

"Do you have a death wish, worm?"

"Albel, you're the only one who can do this. I heard it's your specialty."

His eyes narrowed. "Says who?"

Nervously, the boy pulled a small folder out of his back pocket and handed it off. Curious, the swordsman opened it and flipped through a few pages. He stopped when he found his own name in bold-faced print on the top of one page. Getting angrier by the minute, he read through the information on the page and threw the folder on the ground. Pages and post-it notes flew everywhere.

"Ah!" the boy exclaimed.

"What is the meaning of this?" he snarled. His katana was in his hand faster than he could scream "maggot!"

"Calm down, Albel..."

But he stalked forward, the blade of the katana flashing ominously as he flicked his wrist. It came inches of the boy's nose. Even after traveling together for a few weeks, he still managed to intimidate the boy to the point of making him piss his pants.

"If you knew what was good for you, _worm_, you'd try to run. Try to prolong that life of yours for few measly minutes to pray to whatever god you believe in before I get my hands on you."

The boy blinked. "Albel--"

He took a step forward, his face inches away from the boy's. "_Shouldn't you be running?_" he whispered dangerously.

The boy tore away, stumbling over his own feet as he pushed through the loitering citizens of Peterny. A small smile--one with a hint of sadism--formed on the swordsman's face.

He always enjoyed the thrill of the hunt. And he knew his prey's scent very well.

The people gave the swordsman a wide berth, frightened faces on the lot of them. He was glad he didn't have to do anything else but keep his attention on the blue head slowly getting away from him. Nonetheless, he gave them the occasional glare if they got in his range of vision.

_Asking me to do such a thing... Oh, maggot, how you will suffer..._

And he had no problem knowing where he would run, oh no he didn't. There was only one person he'd run to, and he was always going back to the same place whenever they came to town. Whether the fool was wise enough to keep his nose out of the hunt was the question.

Ahead of him, the boy dove through the large hovel of a marketplace, scattering fruit and cooked meats as he went. The swordsman groaned. Such a waste. If he were of the caring type, he would have offered to pay.

But he wasn't so dashed right through the food carnage, squishing fruit underfoot.

Now for him to pick up some speed. He'd given his prey enough time, and though his prey was fast, he was faster. Swiftly, his feet barely touching the ground, the swordsman weaved around the cafe tables and leapt over a stray animal in the way. The boy hazarded a look behind him and visibly paled upon seeing how close he was.

"Are you done praying, maggot?" he hissed, his armoured hand clenching tight.

"Stop this! I didn't mean it like that!" the boy yelled. He seemed to pick up his pace a bit, and suddenly turned to his right, heading down a side street.

The time it took for the boy to turn was enough for him to put on the last spurt of speed he'd need to pounce his prey. He grabbed the boy's arm and slung him against the wall of a house, pinning him to the cool surface.

"Caught you," he purred maliciously into the boy's ear. His armoured hand slowly wound around the boy's throat. "Now, do you wish to hear what I'm going to do to you, or do you want to be surprised?"

"Albel, please!" the boy said hoarsely. "It was just a simple request! You're the only one who knows Nel's armour size!"

The swordsman blinked. "...What?"

"Uh," said a new voice. "I'm not interrupting anything here, am I?"

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw the blond Klausian watching them with great amusement on his face. "What do you want, you fool?" he snarled.

"Just wondering why you have our leader pinned to a wall. And why you're doing it in broad daylight."

The swordsman scowled and pulled away from the boy. If he wasn't mistaking, he could feel a bit of warmth in his cheeks. "Worm...I'll get you next."

"Aw stop the tough guy act already, will ya? It's getting old."

"You--You didn't hear this maggot's request of me!" he hissed, his hand shooting out and pressing the boy's face back into the wall.

"What, you mean Nel's birthday present? Claire's paying big money for this one and since you are so close with your enemy, we thought to ask you."

The swordsman blinked again, his hand slowly slipping away from the boy's head. "Then why did you ask me to make something of a private nature then, maggot?"

"Because it was a surprise! Geez, Albel, what did you think I was trying to ask you?"

"...Nothing," he responded after a few seconds. "Nothing."

Slowly the swordsman stalked away, his feet bringing him back towards the workshop. Once he was out of range, the Klausian said, "Did he think you wanted him to make one of--"

"Probably. But what use would I have with one of those things?"

"Dunno, unless you're into kinky things like Mirage."

"...That's too much information..."


End file.
